This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Internal combustion engines control the mixture of fuel and air supplied to combustion chambers of the engine. After the spark plug ignites the air/fuel mixture, combustion takes place and later the combustion gases exit the combustion chambers through exhaust valves. The combustion gasses are directed by an exhaust manifold and to a catalytic converter or other exhaust after treatment system. In addition, a turbocharger can provide enhanced performance and reduced emissions by utilizing the exhaust gases to drive a turbine wheel that can then be utilized to drive a compressor to compress the intake air supplied to the engine.
Increasing government emission requirements have led to the use of multiple catalysts for treating the exhaust gases in order to meet the emission requirements. However, packaging additional catalysts in a confined area becomes challenging for automobile designers. Furthermore, the packaging of multiple catalysts closer to the turbo outlet has been found to shorten catalyst light off time by minimizing heat loss, thus improving the catalyst's efficiency. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a multiple catalyst architecture with the converter housing shaped and sized to allow flexible packaging within various available vehicle environments.